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We are very pleased with this short article that mentioned us in the Ventura County Star Sunday entitled, “Don’t Get Bit by the Termite Tent.” Thank you for writing this Brian Guevara! Here is what he had to say:

Nothing is as frustrating to a homebuyer as the wait to move into the home they have just purchased because of a “termite tent.”

Guevara has become a proponent of the system that kills termites and other bugs with heat rather than chemicals.

“I like it because it’s faster,” said Guevara, a RE/MAX agent with the Ventura office. “It costs about the same, and it doesn’t leave behind any chemical residue.”

In the ThermaPureHeat method, the extermination company skips the tent. Instead, it brings a number of heaters into the home and heats the interior of the home up to 150 degrees. (Lipsticks, candles and other items that might melt are safely placed in the refrigerator.) The heat kills termites and other small insects. It also takes care of any mold and pathogens.

After the interior of the home is heated for several hours, the home is cooled with fans.

The entire process takes about 12 hours. Tenting the home and treating it with chemicals will keep the homeowner out of the home for several days.

“I like it because the homeowner is anxious.

They want to move in. This lets that happen much sooner,” said Guevara. “The costs are comparable. And there is no chemical residue in the house. The guarantee is comparable to the traditional methods so the customer has nothing to lose.”

ThermePureHeat is a method developed and patented by Ventura County businessman David Hedman. The ThermaPureHeat method heats the ambient air inside structures up to 150 degrees for several hours in order to eliminate termites and other bugs, as well as mold, mites, allergens and other airborne pathogens. In water damage restoration, the method sanitizes the structure while it dries.

This year’s storm experience in South Carolina is the sixth 1000-year flood in the past five years according to a USA Today report. What had seemed extraordinary is becoming common. These seemingly perpetual storms across the U.S. cause a multitude of problems. One significant result is the presence of biological pathogens (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa) found in structures damaged by floodwaters. Structural pasteurization to dry and sanitize may be the best restoration process available.

A process for a safe and effective sanitization of structures impacted by floodwaters is needed. Pasteurization, a process used successfully for 150 years in food products, can be applied similarly to structures for disinfection. IICRC documents recognize “Structural Pasteurization”, but do not fully express the benefits. By reaching temperatures lethal to many of the pathogens associated with floodwater contamination, ThermaPureHeat® “pasteurizes” structures. ThermaPureHeat® is the most effective application of structural pasteurization.

Buildings impacted by floodwater are Category 3 water losses. Category 3 is defined by the IICRC as “grossly unsanitary”. Structural pasteurization as a part of the drying process can return the structure to pre-loss conditions. Structural pasteurization with ThermaPureHeat® is one of the most thorough restoration processes because of both efficacy toward the target pathogens and the ability to penetrate inaccessible areas. This process does not use chemicals or biocides and therefore no additional hazards are added to the space. It is unique as a restoration process because it thoroughly dries the structure and kills the unwanted pathogens and their insect vectors.

Floodwaters Present a Severe Hazard

In the current aftermath conditions from these most recent storms, the extensive flooding will create a significant environmental health concern. The potential contaminants in floodwaters include a variety of biological pathogens. These pathogens present the opportunity for a number of water and excreta-related health problems and diseases for a significant period of time. Many of these pathogens can remain viable in a structure for up to a year. Some can remain longer in a moist environment. As structures dry, many become aerosolized and migrate throughout the building. Rodents and insects also act as vectors transporting these pathogens throughout a structure. Disinfection of flooded structures is a complex and demanding problem.

Floodwaters present non-biological contamination problems as well. Gasoline, pesticides and other chemicals may be carried by water into structures. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with many of these chemicals present a potential hazard to occupants as they slowly off-gas over the next several months. Structural pasteurization can speed up the process of off-gassing by increasing the vapor pressure of the impacted material. Chemical vapors are typically exhausted, but under certain conditions must be captured through carbon filtration.

Pathogens Found in Floodwater

Typical assessment of pathogens found in floodwater focuses on the measurement of coliform bacteria. The presence of coliform bacteria is used as a yardstick for the assumption of biological contaminants in structures impacted by floods or other sewage contaminated water. Although this assessment is generally adequate to determine the presence of sewage related biological pathogens, it may not be adequate to determine the appropriate remedial response for the structure. Some floodwater pathogens may be more difficult to kill or reduce to safe levels.

Recent studies of E. coli contaminations indicate that there is a possibility of human infection up to ten months after the original contamination.[i] Other species may have even greater durability. Salmonella, for example, has a longer life outside of the host and therefore has the potential of infecting a larger number of species, including flies, cockroaches and other vectors. This may be true of other microbes as well. It is important to understand that floodwater contaminated structures can remain a health concern for a long period of time. This is particularly true if the building is not properly dried and remains moist or wet. In fact, the conditions will worsen for a period of time. In addition, most buildings are a catalyst for insect infestation.

The bulk of data used in this paper regarding pathogens in floodwater is found in studies provided to assist in the management or design of water supply and sanitation systems.[ii] Because of the size and magnitude of some of the hurricane floodplains the contaminated water and attendant pathogens are most likely comparable to sewage contamination. Efficacy studies regarding the thermal death rate of floodwater pathogens are derived from these sources.

Pathogens found in buildings affected by sewage-impacted floodwaters include bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and helminthes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) these pathogens impact human health. Although it is not the purpose of this paper to understand specific health concerns associated with these pathogens, it is the intent to understand the resolution – structural disinfection of floodwater contaminated buildings. Included in these categories are a few of the assumed water and excreta-related pathogens.

Bacteria

Viruses

Protozoa

Helminths

Escherichia coli

Salmonella

Enterococcus faecium

Rotovirus

Enteric viruses

Giardia lamblia

Entamoeba hystolitica

Nematodes – roundworms,

hookworms, Ascaris

Cestodes – tapeworms

The potential for infection of occupants in a structure comes from various vectors. The vectors found to transport or transmit these pathogens in buildings include[iii]: feco-oral, water-washed, water-based, excreta-based insect and rodent vectors, and aerosol.

The importance of this is to demonstrate the dynamic nature of a floodwater-contaminated building. Occupants can be affected by a wide variety of routes and vectors making the resolution more complex. ThermaPureHeat® is the only process that effectively treats all of the pathogens present as well as impacting the vectors and routes, while drying the structure.

Thermal Inactivity of Specific Floodwater Pathogens

Temperature is a more thorough intervention process in the inactivation of enteric pathogens. According to the WHO, “…heating to pasteurization temperatures (generally 60C) for periods of minutes to tens of minutes will destroy most waterborne pathogens of concern”[iv]. This general statement may be adequate to recommend utilization of heat for the disinfection of floodwater-impacted structures. However, for the purpose of this paper, more specific targets have been identified to further define the efficacy of the process. The following table shows specific pathogens that can be rendered inactive by temperatures within the range of structural pasteurization:

The efficacy of ThermaPureHeat® in its simplest form is a result of the combination of temperature and duration. The complexity of any thermal sanitization is achieving efficacy in all areas of the structure. What differentiates ThermaPureHeat® is the ability to sanitize the entire structure, including inaccessible areas and difficult areas such as crawlspaces.

Buildings are complex and the requirement for uniform temperature throughout a structure is necessary to achieve efficacy. Heat technicians are thoroughly trained in construction materials, thermal dynamics and the intended targets. Buildings have materials that conduct heat, some that create radiant losses, and others that are heat sinks. The heat technician must understand each of these conditions and others. Temperatures are monitored in real-time in all areas including difficult to heat locations. In a wooden structure these places might be under sill plates, between header boards, and in wall cavities. Crawlspaces and sub-areas provide additional difficulties. ThermaPureHeat® can treat all structures. Additionally, this process typically includes laboratory testing to document the reduction of bacteria following treatment.

The process of pasteurization of a structure appears to uniformly impact these pathogens related to floodwaters. Other methods of disinfection are not as uniform in result. For example, Giardia cysts are resistant to chlorination and a wide range of pH.[xiv] Other methods may not be ovacidal, for example with some helminths, such as Ascaris, the eggs are more resistant than the larvae. Other processes are not as safe or not as effective, or both. Heat, as a disinfectant, is uniform and non-discriminatory in application. Pasteurization of a building is an effective process to reduce pathogens to safe levels.

Structural Pasteurization with ThermaPureHeat

All buildings affected by floodwaters should be sanitized. The most thorough method is structural pasteurization with ThermaPureHeat®. It is a patented, non-chemical, engineered process that “pasteurizes” structures. This process is the most effective because it is the only process that kills or inactivates the majority of pathogens present while thoroughly drying the structure. Additionally, it is the only treatment that inactivates pathogens in inaccessible areas. It prevents pathogens from vectoring by other sources. Vector sources include aerosol, rodents, cockroaches, and other insects. Added value for the process is the reduction of VOCs that may have resulted from chemical contamination associated with the floodwaters. Much like the pasteurization of food products, ThermaPureHeat® reduces the biological contaminants in a structure to levels safe for occupants.

What is the advantage of using ThermaPure? A new article in C&R magazine, a publication by the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), answers this question. Check out the article, entitled “Why Heat Over 105 Degrees F” in this months issue.

The diagnosis of Thomas Eric Duncan, as Texas resident, with the ebola virus, has dominated US headlines for the past week. Here at ThermaPure, we would like to offer our dearest sympathies to his family and friends regarding his passing, and acknowledge the difficulty of facing this virus. ThermaPure has a lot of experience in containing and sanitizing contagions. Although we hope ebolavirus doesn’t continue to spread, we have done some precautionary research.

According the CDC’s website, the ebola virus can stay active on indoor surfaces for up to six days. This is unfortunate news. Common colds typically remain infections on surfaces for less than a day. However, ebola was found, “Relative to other enveloped viruses, to be quite sensitive to inactivation by ultraviolet light and drying.” The Public Health Agency of Canada states that ebola can be inactivated by heating it to 60 degrees Celsius, 140 degrees Fahrenheit, for thirty to sixty minutes.

ThermaPureHeat equipment can reach 212°F and remain there for hours in a properly prepared structure. In the past, the ThermaPure technology has been deployed for treating dangerous pathogens such as anthrax and MRSA. This powerful technology should only be used to treat dangerous pathogens under the direction of a qualified Environmental Engineering Professional. The CDC and Public Health Agency of Canada should consider the use of structural pasteurization prior to remediation efforts. This may result in the protection of remediation technicians and waist handlers.

Will Ebola Virus Grow with Flu Season?

Ebola has been found to remain active longer at lower temperatures. These findings are based on lab experiments and not tests conducted in a more natural environment. As we approach colder months, only time will tell with certainty how the ebola virus will react.